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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/29749167">just a city boy (took the midnight train)</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/sweetchaostree/pseuds/sweetchaostree'>sweetchaostree</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>the beating heart of Panem (hunger games AU) [3]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>NCT (Band)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Alternate Universe - Hunger Games Setting, Forced Prostitution, M/M, Trains, a lot of trains, hunger games-typical themes, kind of a study on the Capitol, ten as a stylist and johnny as a mentor, vaguely defined but intensely committed relationship</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2021-02-27</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-02-27</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-18 07:14:37</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>5,343</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/29749167</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/sweetchaostree/pseuds/sweetchaostree</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Five times Ten can't get on a train heading to the Districts, and one time he finally can.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Chittaphon Leechaiyapornkul | Ten/Suh Youngho | Johnny, Lee Taeyong &amp; Chittaphon Leechaiyapornkul | Ten</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>the beating heart of Panem (hunger games AU) [3]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/2186502</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>2</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>51</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>just a city boy (took the midnight train)</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>this fic requires some basic knowledge of the hunger games, but if you've never read it, the main thing you need to know to understand the fic is this: the people in the Capitol pretty much live a life of luxury, the people in the Districts are poor and work all the time to please the Capitol, and the Capitol is very corrupt.</p><p>this is meant to be a companion fic to my other fic in this AU, so while reading that fic isn't strictly necessary this fic would probably make more sense if you read the other one, since this one kind of timeskips a lot and the other fic provides more background on Ten's character</p><p>anyways, I hope you guys enjoy!</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>1.</p><p> </p><p>"Woah! Mama! Mama!" Ten exclaimed, hopping up and down to get his mother's attention. "What's that building?"</p><p>Ten used the melting ice cream in his hand to point at the sleek grey building, his other hand still firmly clutching his mother's. There were several people going in and out of the building, and train tracks crisscrossed the ground behind it.</p><p>Ten's mother laughed. "That's the train station, baby."</p><p>Ten's eyes grew wide. "Does it have actual trains? Like the kind I see on my tablet?" Some of the ice cream melted and dribbled down the cone onto his hand, but he didn't seem to notice.</p><p>Ten's mother nodded. "Yup, it sure does! If we wait here long enough, one of the trains might come, and you could see one in real life!"</p><p>Ten gasped excitedly, waving his arms in excitement and nearly losing his ice cream. "Can we? Can we wait a little bit and see?"</p><p>His mother nodded, leading the two of them over to a bench facing the station. "Yes, of course! While we're waiting, you should finish your ice cream; it's not good to eat while walking, or you could choke."</p><p>Ten looked down at his hand, grinning as he remembered that he still had ice cream left to finish, and he was going to see a train soon! Shopping trips with his mom were the best. He happily plopped down and licked at his ice cream, feet swinging back and forth as they dangled.</p><p>Ten had almost finished his ice cream when a train slid into the station, so smoothly and quietly that he'd nearly missed it while focusing on the crunch of his ice cream cone. "Look," said Ten's mother, nudging him in the side gently. "Here it comes!"</p><p>Ten watched in amazement as the train came to a slow stop, and a few people stepped out of the first few cars. After the three important-looking people had disappeared from sight, another group of people emerged from the station and headed towards the back of the train. The cars at the back of the train had large sliding doors, which were shoved open to allow the people to enter and exit easily. Each person carried a large box out of the car, working like ants in orderly lines, almost like they were controlled by one mind. Ten stared, fascinated by the efficiency and harmony with which they conducted themselves— no one ran into one another, and they flowed like a single continuous line, in and out and in and out.</p><p>"What are those people carrying?" asked Ten.</p><p>Ten's mother shrugged. "No idea. A shipment from the districts, probably."</p><p>"The trains come from the districts? That's so cool!"</p><p>Ten's mother laughed, shaking her head. "No, you silly duckling. The trains don't come from the districts! They come from the Capitol, and go to the districts, to bring back presents that the districts give us."</p><p>"Wow, really? That's a lot of presents," Ten said, as box after box was unloaded from the train. "The people in the districts must be really nice."</p><p>"I'm sure they are, sweetie," Ten's mother said with a smile. "I've never met any of the district people, though."</p><p>Ten turned to her in confusion. "You haven't? Why not?" To Ten, his mother was the most worldly and knowledgeable person he knew; it was strange, inconceivable even, that she hadn't met anyone from the districts he heard so much about all the time.</p><p>His mother shrugged. "District people don't come up here very often, except for the Hunger Games. And for the Hunger Games, the tributes are kept separate from everyone else, so there aren't any chances to really meet them."</p><p>Ten frowned as he tried to process this. "Why don't we just go to the districts to visit them then?"</p><p>Ten's mother laughed fondly, ruffling Ten's hair. "No one goes to the districts, silly!"</p><p>"Why not?" Ten pressed on obstinately.</p><p>"Because it'd be ridiculous! Us, residents of the Capitol, getting on a train to visit the districts? Trust me, baby, there's nothing to see in the districts that we don't already have here." Ten's mother said with a smile. "Don't be greedy, now. You already have everything you need."</p><p>"But I wanna ride on a train!"</p><p>Ten's mother laughed brightly, fixing Ten's bangs and smoothing down his shirt. "I know, I know. We can ride a train to somewhere else, though. Go on a vacation to the beach. How does that sound?"</p><p>Ten's face lit up. "The beach? With the ocean and stuff?" He exclaimed.</p><p>"Yup! There's lots of sand on the beach too, you can do all sorts of fun things with it."</p><p>"Okay!" Ten said happily, pushing himself off the bench to land his feet on solid ground again. "I'm done with my ice cream. Can we go home now?"</p><p>Ten's mother smiled. "Yes, let's go home now."</p><p><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>2.</p><p> </p><p>"Ten, I have something to tell you."</p><p>Ten finished pulling on his pajama pants and plopped onto the bed, making sure not to hit his head on the bunk above him. It was already late at night, edging into morning, with the sky just starting to lighten slightly. For them, though, this was relatively early; their other roommates were still busy with clients, so it was just the two of them getting ready to sleep. "Yeah? What is it?"</p><p>Taeyong flicked off the lights and nudged Ten's leg to get him to scoot over. "It's something important," said Taeyong, hesitating slightly. He lowered his voice into a whisper and leaned over to speak directly into Ten's ear. "I think I might have a way for us to get out."</p><p>Ten gasped disbelievingly. "Oh my gosh! Really?" he asked in a hushed whisper.</p><p>Taeyong nodded. "I got my hands on a map of the underground tunnels under the Capitol. We could go to the train station and escape from there."</p><p>Ten sat in shock for a couple moments, as hope started to grow in his chest. Fantasies flashed into his mind of all the things he could do once he got out of here, all the places he'd go, all the dreams he could work hard to accomplish. He imagined going home and being able to see his family again, to poke fun at his sister and relax on the couch with his father; they must be worried sick about him! They probably thought he'd run away or something. For a few moments, he indulged in the idea of returning to a normal life, before reality and anxiety came crashing back in.</p><p>"But even if we escaped, wouldn't they just be able to drag us back in? We can't go back to our families because that'd be the first place they'd look. And I don't know where else we could go!"</p><p>"We could go to the districts," replied Taeyong. </p><p>"The districts?" Ten exclaimed, an incredulous laugh spilling out of him. "Don't be ridiculous."</p><p>"It'd just be for a few years, so that the people here forget about us. From there, I could send a message to my parents, they might be able to pull some strings to get us taken off the record. Then we could go back home."</p><p>Ten shook his head. "We wouldn't survive a couple years in the districts! We're not built for that kind of life! Besides, nobody from the Capitol goes to the districts," he said dismissively.</p><p>"Peacekeepers do it all the time," Taeyong pointed out.</p><p>"Yes, but they're Peacekeepers, Taeyong. They're all jacked up from serums! There's no way people like us could survive outside the Capitol."</p><p>"I think you underestimate us, Ten," Taeyong said quietly, his tone fierce and determined. "I think we could do it."</p><p>"No way," Ten refuted immediately. "There's way too much that could go wrong. How will we even get on a train?"</p><p>"We can hide among the cargo, and sneak out that way."</p><p>"What if someone catches us?"</p><p>Taeyong faltered, shrugging helplessly. "I don't know. We can pretend to be Avoxes, pretend we were sent to the districts to serve some official. It'd be better than staying here."</p><p>"But they'll figure out we still have our tongues, and then they'll turn us into actual Avoxes! I don't want to risk that. I'd rather stay here."</p><p>"For how long, though?" Taeyong pressed. "Are you going to stay here for the rest of your life?"</p><p>Ten sighed. "I don't know! Obviously I don't want to, but- I'm sure when we get old enough they'll let us go somehow. I mean, no one here looks a day over 40. So I figure, once I'm old enough I'll get let out, and then I'll still have maybe half my life to live. And until then, we get good food and clothes and everything provided for us. But if we become Avoxes, then we're really ruined for life!"</p><p>"As long as we keep our mouths shut they'll never find out! They won't look twice, they never pay attention to the Avoxes anyways."</p><p>Ten considered it for a second, but shook his head. "I still think the risk is too high. But if you want to go, I'll cover for you and help you get to the tunnels."</p><p>Taeyong shook his head vehemently, eyebrows knitted downwards. "There's no way I'm leaving without you! We're in it together, remember?"</p><p>"I don't want to hold you back, though! I know you hate this life more than I do."</p><p>"You're not holding me back, I swear. And you're right- it's dangerous. And what happens if they realize you helped me escape? It'd be even worse for you here. I'm not going to do that to you."</p><p>"... I didn't even think about that," said Ten. "But it's okay, I'm a good liar! I've had a lot of practice," he joked, winking at Taeyong to try and lighten the mood. "They won't suspect a thing."</p><p>"Even if they don't suspect anything, they could still make your life worse," Taeyong argued. "If you're staying, I'm staying, and that's final."</p><p>Ten sighed, giving Taeyong a small smile. "Okay. Thank you for staying, even though you could leave. But if you change your mind at any point, just let me know."</p><p>Taeyong smiled back. "Okay. I'm not going to leave you, though. We're BFFLs, remember? We're in it for life."</p><p><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>3.</p><p> </p><p>"Gosh, where are we? We're going to be late!" Ten tapped at his blank tablet screen frustratedly, even though he knew it was futile. "Why did this have to run out of battery now?"</p><p>Winwin shrugged. "Maybe if you hadn't tried to follow that cat, we wouldn't have ended up in some random hallway where no one else is around," he said mildly.</p><p>"Oh come on, Winwinnie, you thought the cat was cute too! I saw you take a picture of it!"</p><p>Winwin rolled his eyes. "Yes, but that doesn't mean I thought we should follow it off the beaten path. Taeyong just texted, he's wondering where we are, and the next train doesn't come until tomorrow!"</p><p>"Ugh, I know!" Ten exclaimed, rushing down the hallway hurriedly. "We might be getting close, though, I think I hear the sounds of some people nearby!"</p><p>He ran around the corner and nearly slammed right into a woman wearing a suit. "Sorry!" He exclaimed, moving to go around her. However, she moved at the same time he did, so that he ended up in her line of motion once again and was forced to back up. </p><p>"Hey, are you two lost?" she asked with a friendly smile. "None of the vacation trains are in this direction." Behind her, Ten could see dozens of people, carrying boxes and rolling carts back and forth.</p><p>Ten breathed out a sigh of relief, heart still beating with adrenaline from his run down the hallway. "Yes, we're very lost, and we're going to miss our train! Can you tell us where to go?"</p><p>"Of course!" she said obligingly. "I'll take you there myself."</p><p>"Oh, you really don't have to if it's inconvenient, you could just tell us which way!" Ten replied. Winwin shot him a look at that, as if to say <em>if you do that, </em><em>we're totally going to get lost again.</em> </p><p>"No, it's alright, I insist! Besides, these hallways can be confusing, I wouldn't want you making a wrong turn! Especially if it would make you late for a vacation." She began walking briskly, and Ten and Winwin hurried after her to keep up.</p><p>"So, where are you all vacationing to?" she asked.</p><p>"We're going to visit the arenas!" Ten exclaimed excitedly.</p><p>"Wow, that's so exciting! All of them, or are you just going to hit the highlights?"</p><p>"We're not visiting all of them, we don't have that much time," said Winwin ruefully. "We're just hitting the highlights and some of our favorites."</p><p>"Yeah, I'm especially excited to see last year's arena! The landscaping looked so beautiful on TV, even though some of it got destroyed during the Games," added Ten.</p><p>"Ah yes, the landscaping, because that was the most riveting part of the Games," muttered Winwin under his breath sarcastically. Ten jabbed him in the side.</p><p>"Are you excited for this year's Games? There's one month left until the reaping."</p><p>"Yes, I'm so hyped! Winwinnie and I are going to be on a styling prep team for the Games," gushed Ten enthusiastically. "That's actually why we can't take a very long vacation, we need to be back in time to get ready." A couple people turned to look at them at the mention of the Games; they had now entered the main hallway, and the surroundings were beginning to look more familiar.</p><p>"Wow, that's such an honor!" exclaimed the woman. The hallway in front of them began to widen out into a large platform, where a gleaming silver train was waiting for them. "Well, we've arrived! This train should take you directly to the first stop on the tour."</p><p>"Thank you so much!" replied Ten.</p><p>Winwin nodded. "Yeah, thank you for taking the time to guide us all the way here."</p><p>"Oh, it's no problem, really!" The woman replied with a smile. "It's my job to guide people who are lost."</p><p>"Oh, I think I see Taeyongie!" exclaimed Ten, waving wildly at a head of white hair in the crowd. "Come on, let's go, we're going to be late!"</p><p>"Okay, okay!" Winwin replied, letting himself get dragged along by Ten. "Thank you, again!" he called to the woman as he walked away.</p><p>She smiled as she watched them go. "Of course. It was my pleasure."</p><p><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>4.</p><p> </p><p>These days, Ten always found himself taking the long way home. The route that had once been a whim of curiosity had now become routine, his feet taking him there on autopilot after he left the studio every day.</p><p>Ten told himself that the fact that this new route passed by the train station was just a coincidence, but he knew he was lying to himself. He tried to be inconspicuous about it, but he often found himself sitting on the bench opposite the station, watching the people stream in and out and the trains glide seamlessly back and forth. He always had his sketchbook open in his lap, just in case someone asked what he was doing. To be fair, the sleek, elegant lines of the trains and the blinding glare as they reflected the sun made for some interesting design inspiration. Considering the contents of his sketchbook, it'd be fairly easy for him to switch to styling District Six, but he couldn't imagine leaving District Seven. His sketchbook was still full of costume ideas about trees, dress designs that were never worn, and suit designs tailored to the specifications of one particular person.</p><p>He wondered what Johnny was doing right now, back in Seven— whenever he called, Johnny always said that he wasn't doing much of anything. Ten hadn't quite believed him until he visited for the Victory Tour and realized that there really wasn't much of anything to do. They had an old movie theater, a small library of textbooks, and that was about it. Johnny said that their main sources of entertainment were the small underground music festivals that happened occasionally. He said that some people in Seven could make an instrument out of any old scrap of wood, if you gave them the time and the tools.</p><p>Johnny's piano was special, though. According to Johnny, pianos took a lot more material and time to make, were complicated and difficult to move. Not many people could afford pianos in District Seven, but after winning the Hunger Games, money hadn't been a problem. His piano was one of the most extravagant things he'd bought solely for himself. Ten wondered if he was playing it right now.</p><p>He sighed as he stood up, flipping his sketchbook closed and putting it back inside his bag. He took another look back at the station, at all those people going in and out, and wondered how easy it would be to just blend in among the crowd. To slip right into that train station and walk onto a train heading to Seven. Nothing was stopping him, right?</p><p>He still remembered the way to the platform, somehow. Still remembered the feeling of his arm interlocked with Johnny's, the rhythm of Johnny's tired footsteps, as they'd made the walk from Jungwoo's apartment to the station. Remembered the way the wind had rushed past his face as the train departed with a quiet whoosh, carrying Johnny back to the districts, to a place Ten would never belong.</p><p><em>You could just visit him,</em> said the rational voice in his head. <em>There's nothing stopping you.</em></p><p>But he knew that people from the Capitol don't go to the Districts. People from the Capitol would never survive in the Districts. He knew this like he knew that animal print never goes with colorful patterns, that the Hunger Games happens every year, and that the Capitol is the beating heart of Panem.<br/>
<br/>
</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>5.</p><p> </p><p>"I can't do this."</p><p>It was early morning, when most of the Capitol was sleeping after a Friday night of partying and indulgence. Ten, Johnny, and Taeyong were at the edge of a tiny hidden platform on the other side of the train, which was only accessible through the underground tunnels when the train is docked.</p><p>"You can do it, Ten, come on," encouraged Johnny. "Nothing bad will happen to you."</p><p>"Yeah, I've been back and forth a lot of times, remember?" Taeyong added.</p><p>"Yeah, but you're you!" Ten replies, gesturing at Taeyong. "You've been doing this Resistance stuff for practically your whole life!"</p><p>"Exactly, and I haven't gotten caught yet! I'll be right with you the whole time, Ten. I'll make sure nothing bad happens to you. And you've met Taeil, right? You know he'll cover for us."</p><p>Ten let out a forceful sigh. "I know that rationally. But it's one thing to know and another thing to do! I just— when I look at that gap between the train and the platform— l know I could do it. But I just don't want to. Or like, the thought of doing it just gives me so much anxiety that I can't bring myself too."</p><p>"Would it help if one of us shoved you? Or if I carried you over?" Johnny suggested.</p><p>Ten sighed defeatedly. "I don't know. I don't think so. I think I'd probably just freak out and get back on the platform. Like, even now, I think— I could probably force myself to get on the train, but I don't know if I could get myself to stay on the train."</p><p>"Well, we could still start there," said Taeyong. "Start small and work our way up."</p><p>"Or we could put it off until later, where the fear of imminent death and torture will probably overcome the anxiety enough for me to escape," pointed out Ten. Taeyong frowned.</p><p>"We're not taking that risk. We still don't know how deep the Capitol conditioning goes. Better to get it all out now."</p><p>Ten took a deep breath. "Okay, okay. You're right. We should do this now."</p><p>"Would it help if we stood on the other side?" Johnny asked. </p><p>Ten nodded. "Maybe."</p><p>"Okay," Johnny responded. He and Taeyong entered the train and stood at the threshold of the door, turning to face Ten. The bright white lighting inside the train contrasted with the complete darkness of the platform, backlighting their figures into shadowy silhouettes. Ten shivered.</p><p>"Maybe back up a little? Like, go all the way inside."</p><p>They nodded, taking a couple steps backwards. Taeyong startled slightly as he bumped into a box, and Ten's heart leapt into his throat as the box teetered backwards for a second before fall back into place.</p><p>"Okay. Okay. I got this," Ten said to himself as he approached the threshold. He looked up at Johnny and Taeyong in front of him, looking perfectly at ease in the train, waiting for him to join them.</p><p>The moment he stepped over felt almost anticlimactic. His heart was still beating rapidly and his hands were all sweaty, but other than that nothing happened. The ground felt different here, though: less steady, smooth, almost like it was floating. So different from the cold, grainy concrete of the platform. Trains don't float, though, so it must've been his imagination. Still, he felt almost carsick, even though he'd been on several trains before and none of them had felt like this. He let out a slightly hysterical laugh.</p><p>"I feel... fine?" He tried, looking up at Johnny and Taeyong's concerned expressions. "It's..." He felt a little wobbly, but he could deal with that. He didn't want them to worry. "It's okay." He tried to take a couple more steps towards them, but found himself dragging his feet. "Maybe I shouldn't stay in here, though. Or like. I don't know."</p><p>"That's okay," said Taeyong. "Take your time."</p><p>"We can always try again next week," added Johnny.</p><p>Ten nodded. "Okay," he said. He tried to focus on his breathing, regulate it to a steady rhythm. "Okay, next week."</p><p><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>+1</p><p> </p><p>As Ten rushes through the familiar paths of the underground tunnels with his duffel bag slung over his shoulder, his eyes cast around wildly, trying to burn every sight into his memory: the dim flicker of the fluorescent lights, the questionable scratches on the walls, the feeling of hard concrete under his pounding feet. He used to be afraid of the shapes of the shadows, the ways corners would turn sharply and throw alcoves into darkness, but now he thinks that he's going to miss it.</p><p>He glances over at Taeyong briefly, to see how he's doing. They nod at each other, but don't speak— they're both out of breath from running, and the quieter they are, the better. They've gotten good at this wordless communication over the years.</p><p>They slow once they approach their destination, clinging to the wall as they peer around the corner to make sure there isn't an ambush waiting for them. Taeyong gives Ten a thumbs-up to tell him that the coast is clear.</p><p>The gentle humming of the train feels comforting when Ten steps on, like it's humming in resonance with the thrumming of Ten's nerves. They're vibrating at the same frequency, both anticipating the smooth pull as they leave the station. He and Taeyong crouch behind the boxes near the entrance for the time being, waiting for two more people to arrive.</p><p>Time stretches out slowly, and Ten tries to count by the pulses of his heartbeat. 123456789 goes by too fast, so Ten gives up, focusing on his breathing instead. Taeyong, meanwhile, is tapping furiously at his watch, watching the seconds tick by. The train is scheduled to leave in three minutes, and the knot of anxiety in Ten's chest tightens with each second that passes by.</p><p>A figure rounds the corner, still hidden in shadow, but Ten can recognize the shape of that figure even in the dark, knows the numbers of his measurements off the top of his head. "They're here," he breathes out, taking all his self-control not to pop his head up and wave wildly at them.</p><p>Johnny and Yuta slip into the train car quietly, their footsteps nearly soundless on the smooth floors. Even after so many years, Ten always marvels at how soundlessly they walk. Ten and Taeyong crawl out from behind the box where they're hiding, and Johnny and Yuta crouch down to meet them.</p><p>"You made it," Ten whispers with a smile, grabbing onto Johnny's hands.</p><p>Johnny nods, and smiles back. "We're not out of the woods yet, though. Come on, we need to get into our hiding positions. They'll be doing a last sweep before the train leaves the station."</p><p>Ten wants to stay next to Johnny, but he knows he can't. Reluctantly, he lets go of Johnny's hands and nods, backing away towards his designated empty box. "I'll see you all at the end of the ride, then," he says with a bright smile, trying to sound cavalier and optimistic.</p><p>Taeyong smiles back reassuringly. "Yeah, we'll see each other in eight hours. It'll be okay."</p><p>It'll be okay, Ten tells himself as he curls up to fit into the box. Being on the train doesn't scare him anymore, but they're heading to District Thirteen— somewhere unknown, somewhere he's never been before. Even with all the Resistance briefings, he has no idea what to expect.</p><p>The eight hours pass slowly and unevenly. Ten closes his eyes, hugs his knees to his chest, and tries to imagine what District Thirteen would look like. All he has to go off of is the grainy Capitol footage they play every year, but he makes do— takes the layout of the underground tunnels he's so accustomed to navigating through and transforms it into the smooth hallways of an underground city, takes the shadows and replaces them with clean lighting, takes the slashes of spray paint and brushes over them to produce sprawling murals of artwork in his mind.</p><p>He wonders what it'd be like, to walk through the hallways with Johnny and not have to worry about being seen as too close. Wonders what it'd be like to meet Johnny's mom, who should be with Renjun on another train right now. Wonders whether he could really grow and thrive away from the Capitol, away from the system he's always relied on and the life he's always lived.</p><p>When the eight hours are up, Ten feels the train slide to a smooth stop. He hears people shuffle in, feels the weight of their footsteps on the floor, as they grab boxes to take outside. He holds his breath when he feels someone pick up his box— if they get found out now, they'll be ruined. This is the hardest part, having to put the trust of his safety in the Resistance's hands, having to trust that whoever is carrying him will take him to the right place. That wherever he ends up, he will be with Johnny and Taeyong and Yuta.</p><p>When he's set down, someone knocks on the top of his box in a pattern. Ten tracks the spaces between knocks and breathes out a sigh of relief. He counts to sixty in his head, to make sure that the person is gone (security measures, can't know the face of whoever helped him), before he tentatively opens up the lid and peers out.</p><p>He can barely see anything— he's in a dark basement somewhere, and all he can make out from his limited view is stacks of more boxes. He opens up the lid a little wider and climbs out, feeling a shock as his feet touch the floor.</p><p>He's really out. He's out of the Capitol. From here, all they need to do now is to get to District Thirteen.</p><p> </p>
<hr/><p> </p><p>The rest of the way to Thirteen is complicated— it involves sneaking through an underground cave system, going through several waterfalls, and jump-starting an abandoned car— but it feels easier with Johnny by his side. None of them have talked much in the last few days, too focused on survival and navigation, but sometimes Ten will look over at Johnny and catch him looking back. Once, when they were crossing a narrow ledge, Johnny offered his hand to Ten and didn't let go even after they'd finished crossing, so they'd held hands for a while, swinging quietly as they walked.</p><p>The words are at the tip of Ten's tongue, but it's not the time for it, not yet.</p><p>"If nothing goes wrong, we'll be there by tomorrow," says Johnny when they take a break to sleep.</p><p>Hope rises in Ten's chest, threatening to push the words out of his mouth, but he swallows to keep it down. Instead, he just nods and smiles and spreads out his blanket. "I can take first watch," he offers. His thoughts are swirling too rapidly for him to go to sleep just yet.</p><p>The others nod their agreement. Ten watches as they lay down, matches his breathing to the rise and fall of their chests.</p><p>It's been about half an hour when Johnny stirs, sitting up and blinking open his eyes. He makes eye contact with Ten. "Hey," he says sleepily, rolling over to face him.</p><p>"Hey," Ten whispers back.</p><p>"Excited for tomorrow?"</p><p>Ten smiles faintly. "Of course I'm excited. Also kind of terrified, though."</p><p>Johnny nods and gets up, walking over to sit down next to Ten. "Yeah. I'm terrified, too."</p><p>They sit in silence for a few moments, no sounds but the small rush of water somewhere in the distance.</p><p>"Did it feel like this, when you were waiting in the Launch Room? The uncertainty of what you would be walking into?"</p><p>Johnny hums thoughtfully. "A little. I think it's more hopeful this time, though. When I was walking into the arena, I really thought I was going to die. But now we're leaving the Games for good."</p><p>"Yeah. We're really getting out." Everything he wants to say crowds in his chest, molds itself into a dense knot that begs to be expelled. He takes a deep breath, can't help himself from letting the question fall out. "Johnny, what happens when we get there? For us?"</p><p>Johnny turns to look at him, searching his face in the low light. "What do you mean?"</p><p>Ten groans. "Don't play stupid, you know what I mean."</p><p>A small smile flashes across Johnny's face, and he shrugs. "I don't know. I can't see the future. We'll just become whatever we become."</p><p>"What do you want us to become?"</p><p>Johnny takes a bit longer to answer, but it's clear from the look on his face that he's thought about it before. "I don't care what we become," he begins slowly, "as long as we're a something. As long as I still have you, in my life."</p><p>"Aren't we already a something?" Ten asks.</p><p>A soft smile spreads across Johnny's face. "Yeah, I guess we are. But we could be more of a something, if you want."</p><p>Ten smiles back, the knot in his chest loosening somewhat. "Okay, I'd like that. I'd like that a lot."</p><p> </p>
<hr/><p> </p><p>Ten has barely settled into his new room in Thirteen when there's a knock on his door. "Come in," he calls out. He's not surprised when Johnny's head peeks around the door, and he smiles at the sight.</p><p>"Hey," says Johnny with an easy grin. It almost reminds Ten of a younger Johnny, the one he'd met that first year before being a mentor had worn away at the edges of his smile. "Wanna go exploring with me?"</p><p>Ten nods and returns the grin, pushing his stack of clothing to the side. He can organize his things later. "Yes, of course!"</p><p>Johnny holds out his hand, and Ten takes it, easy as breathing.</p><p>"So," says Johnny. "Where do you want to start?"</p><p> </p><p> </p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>I spent like two hours today working on this fic instead of studying for my upcoming math test because I wanted to get this out today hhhh so also this is barely proofread lmao I might go back and edit it a little later. please wish me luck on my math test because I will need it! I hate math class so much. math itself is fine but math class? absolutely awful, 0/10 would recommend.</p><p>anyways I hope you guys enjoyed! I know there wasn't really that much johnten until the end haha honestly this is kind of more of a study on the Capitol and what it's like to grow up there, but I hope you guys enjoyed the fic regardless, and thank you for reading! &lt;3</p></blockquote></div></div>
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